Removable sanitary covering

ABSTRACT

A sanitary covering designed to be releasably secured to a portion of a child&#39;s clothing during mealtime to protect the child&#39;s clothing from food and drink spillage. The sanitary covering includes a first and second layer. The first layer is configured to retain and absorb the food and drink spillage that occurs thereon. The second layer is configured to prohibit the propagation of material on the first layer onto the adjacent portion of child&#39;s clothing. The sanitary covering further includes an attachment mechanism that functions to releasably secured the sanitary covering to the desired portion of child or child&#39;s clothing while the child is engaged in eating or drinking.

PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119(e) & 37 C.F.R. §1.78

This nonprovisional application claims priority based upon the followingprior U.S. provisional patent application entitled: Kidz wipes,Application No. 60/665,622, filed Mar. 25, 2005, in the name of AmyGoland, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a protective barrier for clothing, morespecifically but not by way of limitation, to a protective barrier thatis designed to be releasably secured to an area of a child adjacent tothe clothing of the child such as a sleeve area during mealtime toprotect the clothing from food and drink debris generated by the childduring eating.

BACKGROUND

The safety and hygiene of a child are a principal concern of parentswhen they are raising young children. Parents utilize many methods inorder to ensure that their child practices good hygiene.

One area in which parents routinely practice methods of hygiene isduring mealtime. This can be exceptionally challenging for youngerchildren. During the years of motor skill development, young childrenspill food and drink where they are eating and often on themselves. Theyoung child often spreads the spilt food or drink on the clothes thatthey are wearing during mealtime. Regardless of numerous instructions bythe parent it is common for a young child to use their sleeve or otherpart of their clothing to wipe excess food or drink from their face. Asgood hygiene practices are part of a healthy lifestyle, the soiledclothes must be removed from the child and replaced. One issue involvedin changing the soiled clothes of a child occurs when the parent andchild are dining outside of their home. When dining outside of the homethe parent does not have access to a change of clothes for the childonce they have become soiled during mealtime. Without access to a changeof clothes the child must remain in the soiled clothes.

Additionally, if a parent is unable to remove the clothes from the childin a timely fashion this increases the probability that the clothes ofthe child will become permanently stained from the food or drink thathas been spilt on the clothes by the child. As children's clothing canbe expensive, the parent optimally would like to be able to clean theclothes as soon as possible to prevent any permanent damage to theclothing.

Accordingly, there is a need for a device that can be releasably securedto the clothing of a child during mealtime that can protect the child'sclothing from food and drink debris and be subsequently removed once thechild has completed their meal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a protectivebarrier to be worn by a child during mealtime in order to prevent anyfood or drink spilt by the child from soiling the child's clothing.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a protectivebarrier to be worn by a child during mealtime that is releasably securedadjacent the child's clothing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a protectivebarrier to be worn by a child during mealtime that is releasably securedto the sleeve area of the child's clothing.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a protectivebarrier that is worn adjacent to the thigh area of the child's clothingduring mealtime.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a protectivebarrier that is worn adjacent to the torso area of the child's clothingduring mealtime.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a protectivebarrier that is releasably secured to an area of a child's clothingduring mealtime that is disposable and inexpensive.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the presentinvention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Attention is called to the fact that the drawings areillustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being a part of thepresent invention, limited only by the scope of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had byreference to the following Detailed Description and appended claims whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present inventionhaving strips of hook loop fasteners;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present inventionhaving adhesive strips;

FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of the present inventionpositioned to receive a users arm or leg therein; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of the present inventionpositioned to be placed adjacent to a child's thigh area.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings wherein the various elements depictedtherein are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in particular to FIGS. 1through 4, there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of a sanitarycovering 100.

The sanitary covering 100 comprises a body 15 that is configured in asubstantially planar manner and is generally rectangular in shape. Thebody 15 is manufactured from suitable durable and flexible materialssuch as but not limited to paper, plastic or absorbent cloth. The body15 of the sanitary covering 100 is designed to be placed adjacent to andcover a portion thereof a section of the child's clothing andsubsequently provide protection for the area of a child's clothing suchas but not limited to the sleeve area of the child's clothing or thethigh area of the child's clothing.

The sanitary covering 100 is utilized to protect the child's clothingwhile the child is engaged in eating or drinking. While no specific sizeof the body 15 is required good results have been achieved with a body15 that is manufactured in two sizes. A first size approximately fourinches by four inches for covering the sleeve area of the child'sclothing and a second size approximately six inches by six inches forcovering the thigh area of the child's clothing. While illustrated asbeing generally square in shape in the drawings submitted herewith, itis contemplated that the body 15 could be manufactured in numerousdifferent shapes in addition to and/or in conjunction with the shapesreferenced herein. More specifically but not by way of limitation thebody could be oval or annular in shape. It is further contemplatedwithin the scope of the present invention that the body could bemanufactured with numerous designs printed thereon so as to be moreappeasable and entertaining to the child wearing the sanitary covering100.

The body 15 further includes an outer layer 20 and an inner layer 30.The outer layer 20 is manufactured from an absorbent material such asbut not limited to cloth. The outer layer 20 is designed to capture andretain any liquid that is spilled by a child when the child is eating ordrinking in order to protect the child's clothing from becoming soiled.The outer layer 20 further functions to repel any solid food materialfrom contacting the section of the child's clothing adjacent thereto.Those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous different types ofabsorbent materials could be utilized in manufacturing the outer layer20. It is further contemplated within the scope of the present inventionthat the outer layer 20 could be treated with an anti-bacterialmaterial.

The inner layer 30 is manufactured from a suitable durable material suchas but not limited to plastic. The inner layer 30 is adjacent the outerlayer 20 and is secured thereto by conventional chemical or mechanicalmethods. The inner layer 20 is designed to be adjacent to a section ofthe child's clothing when the sanitary covering 100 has been placed inthe desired location of the child such as but not limited to the sleevearea or the thigh area. The inner layer 30 is manufactured to beimpermeable to liquids and other food debris. The inner layer 30functions to ensure that the food and drink debris captured by the outerlayer 20 does not propagate through the body 15 and subsequently soilthe adjacent section of the child's clothing. Those skilled in the artwill recognize that numerous different materials could be utilized tomanufacture the inner layer 30. it is further contemplated within thescope of the present invention that the body 15 could be manufacturedfrom one layer of suitable material that functions to protect theadjacent section of child's clothing from food or drink spillage.

Mounted on opposing sides of the sanitary covering 100 proximate to theperipheral edge 45 is an attachment device 40. The attachment device 40functions to releasably secure the sanitary covering 100 adjacent to thedesired area of child's clothing. The attachment device 40 iscontiguously mounted to the body 15 and generally extends the length ofone side of the sanitary covering 100. The attachment device 40 ismounted to the body 15 by conventional chemical or mechanical methods.

As shown in particular in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in a preferred embodimentof the present invention, the sanitary covering 100 utilizes aconventional hook and loop for the attachment device 40 mounted onopposing sides of the body 15. This type of attachment device ispreferred when utilizing the sanitary covering 100 to encircle thesleeve area of a child's clothing as shown in FIG. 3.

In a preferred alternative embodiment of the present invention, as shownin FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the attachment device 40 could be manufacturedfrom a conventional adhesive material that is covered with a protectivebacking 50. The protective backing 50 is removed thereby exposing theadhesive material when the sanitary covering 100 is to be releasablysecured to an area of the child's clothing that can not be reasonablyencircled such as the thigh area or the torso area. Those skilled in theart will recognize that numerous different methods and materials couldbe utilized to releasably secure the sanitary covering 100 to a sectionof a child's clothing. Furthermore, those skilled in the art willrecognize that the sanitary covering 100 could be utilized to protect asection a a child's clothing during other activities. More specificallybut not by way of limitation, the sanitary covering 100 could beutilized when a child is engaged in arts and crafts activities such aspainting.

Referring now in particular to FIG. 1, a description of the operation ofthe sanitary covering 100 is as follows. In use, the sanitary covering100 is releasably secured to the desired section of a child's clothingwith the attachment device 40 prior to mealtime. Once secured to thechild, the outer layer 20 absorbs and captures any food or drinkmaterial that is spilled on the child in the area covered by thesanitary covering. The inner layer 30 is adjacent to the child'sclothing when the sanitary covering 100 is in use and functions to repelall materials absorbed or captured by the outer layer 20 therebyprotecting the section of child's clothing that is covered by thesanitary covering 100. Once the child has finished eating or drinking,the sanitary covering 100 is removed and depending upon it compositioncan be cleaned or disposed of properly.

In the preceding detailed description, reference has been made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown byway of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may bepracticed. These embodiments, and certain variants thereof, have beendescribed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art topractice the invention. It is to be understood that other suitableembodiments may be utilized and that logical changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention. The description mayomit certain information known to those skilled in the art. Thepreceding detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be limitedto the specific forms set forth herein, but on the contrary, it isintended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, ascan be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A removable protective barrier designed to protect a portion of achild's clothing comprising: a body, said body configured in asubstantially planar manner and being generally rectangular in shape,said body further being flexible to facilitate being matebaly securableto at least one of a user's arm and leg; and an attachment mechanismdisposed on said body, said attachment mechanism operable to secure saidprotective barrier to the user.
 2. The removable protective barrier asrecited in claim 1 and wherein said body further includes an absorbentouter layer, said outer layer for capturing and retaining materialsspilled thereon.
 3. The removable protective barrier as recited in claim2, and wherein said body further includes an inner layer, said innerlayer being adjacent said outer layer, said inner layer operable toprevent materials spilled on said outer layer from propagating throughthe protective barrier.
 4. The removable protective barrier as recitedin claim 3, wherein said body includes opposing peripheral edges andfurther wherein said attachment mechanism is disposed on said bodyproximate said opposing peripheral edges.
 5. The removable protectivebarrier as recited in claim 4, wherein said attachment mechanism is ahook loop fastener.
 6. The removable protective barrier as recited inclaim 5, wherein said outer layer is manufactured from a cloth material.7. The removable protective barrier as recited in claim 6, wherein saidinner layer is manufactured from plastic.
 8. A sanitary coveringdesigned to protect a portion of a child's clothing during mealtimecomprising: a body, body, said body configured in a substantially planarmanner and being generally square in shape and flexible, said bodyhaving a first and second layer, said body having at least two opposingedges, said body for protecting a portion child's clothing adjacentthereto from food and drink debris.
 9. The sanitary covering as recitedin claim 8, and further including an attachment mechanism, saidattachment mechanism for releasably securing said sanitary covering tosaid portion of child's clothing, said attachment mechanism beingdisposed proximate said at least two opposing edges.
 10. The sanitarycovering as recited in claim 9, wherein said first layer of said body ismanufactured from an absorbent material.
 11. The sanitary covering asrecited in claim 10, wherein said second layer of said body ismanufactured from an impermeable material.
 12. The sanitary covering asrecited in claim 11, wherein said attachment mechanism is at least oneof hook and loop material and adhesive material.
 13. The sanitarycovering as recited in claim 12, wherein said approximately four inchesin length and four inches in width.
 14. The sanitary covering as recitedin claim 11, wherein said second layer is manufactured from plastic. 15.A sanitary covering to be releasably secured to a portion of a child'sclothing and operable to protect the child's clothing from food anddrink spillage during mealtime comprising: a body configured in asubstantially planar manner and being square in shape, said body furtherbeing flexible, said body having a first and second layer, said firstlayer for capturing and retaining said food and drink spillage thereon,said second layer for preventing said food and drink spillage capturedand retained by said first layer from propagating through to saidportion of child's clothing; and an attachment mechanism, saidattachment mechanism disposed proximate two opposing edges of said body,said attachment mechanism for releasably securing said sanitary coveringto a portion of a child's clothing.
 16. The sanitary covering as recitedin claim 15, wherein said first layer is manufactured from at least oneof an absorbent material and a paper based material.
 17. The sanitarycovering as recited in claim 16, wherein said second layer ismanufactured from plastic.
 18. The sanitary covering as recited in claim17, wherein said body is approximately four inches in length and fourinches in width.
 19. The sanitary covering as recited in claim 18,wherein said attachment mechanism is manufactured from at least one ofhook and loop material and adhesive material.
 20. The sanitary coveringas recited in claim 15, wherein said body is approximately six inches inlength and six inches in width.